I'm looking for a stone to get a mirror polish on some of my knife bevels. My current stones are a Beston 500 and a King 1000/6000. I'm reasonably happy with the edge I get with these, the 6000 King leaves a nice shine but I'd love to get that mirror finish I've seen on some of the bevels around, more just for aesthetics than edge improvement.

I'm thinking something maybe around 10000 grit? A budget option that will do the job?

ThEoRy

08-21-2012, 09:33 PM

The ss 10k provides a pretty good mirror finish if that is all you are after. Kitiyama leaves a great shine too but honestly i only go above 5k on yanagiba really. So what kind of knife are you sharpening. And is achieving a shinier yet more slippery edge worth it for that knife?

chinacats

08-21-2012, 09:46 PM

Welcome Jase!

Eamon Burke

08-21-2012, 09:57 PM

Welcome!

Keep in mind that shinier does not mean sharper, and though it may be pretty, you may actually end up with a knife that has to be used a certain way or else doesn't cut as well.

This is of course if you are talking about polishing the edge bevel, and polishing all the way to the edge.

If you decide you want to try the shiny edge thing, I'd suggest the Sigma II 10k(its shiny and works fast enough to help remove all the previous scratches) and then progress through a series of strops loaded with sharpening compounds, 2 micron, then 1 micron, then .5 micron(then maybe .25 if you feel like it). You will get an edge with a finish so shiny you can use it as a mirror while you shave with it.

You may end up deciding, as I did, that this is not a good way to sharpen a kitchen knife. But it certainly can be fun, and its plenty educational.

*edit* If you really want to make life easier and shinier, the Shapton Pro 5k leaves a really shiny edge for a 5k and cuts very fast. That before the Sigma II 10k sounds like an overpowered combo for shiny. This is making me want to go play with my stones.

Keep in mind this is not an endorsement of shiny edges. Just an endorsement of blowing entire evenings rubbing knives on rocks for the hell of it.

Jase

08-21-2012, 10:29 PM

Yeah I'm generally happy with the sharpness or edge quality I'm currently getting for my cutting needs. I'm only an amatuer home cook, so this is more for curiosity/fun/aesthetics than any real world requirement for increasing sharpness. So basically rubbing knives on rocks for the hell of it!

The knives I'm looking to get a polish on are a couple of kurouchi knives I have, a Carter Nakiri and a Takeda AS Suji, I really like the contrast of a polished bevel I've seen on similar kurouchi knives, and I'm curious about how stupidly sharp these would be with a polished edge! I also have a Yanagi and a deba I use semi-regularly, I've started flattening the blade roads on these and am thinking they could do with nice polished bevel.

Anyone had any experience with this one: Imanishi 10,000 (http://www.**************.com/im10fist.html)

The Naniwa SS 10K was the other one I was looking at.

Eamon Burke

08-21-2012, 10:43 PM

There is no need to flatten them to polish them. I don't like flat bevels on anything. It will be tough to get a perfect mirror finish on a bevel that wide, without it looking faceted, if it is dead flat. The natural convexity will allow for minute differences along the bevel without showing up in reflected light. This is why so many outdoor knives with mirror finishes(ultra-polish is considered super sexy) have full convex grinds. Not to mention any dullness will mean a HECK OF A LOT more work to re-finish, because instead of being able to touch up the edge, you will scuff the entire blade road, starting the whole process over.

Jase

08-21-2012, 11:49 PM

There is no need to flatten them to polish them. I don't like flat bevels on anything.

Maybe my terminology is little off? Or I'm going about it the wrong way!? By flattening, I mean working the bevel to get rid of the concave/overground bits from the OEM. From what I've gathered on sharpening new single bevel knives - I thought you needed to 'flatten' the blade road this way first? These are a Yoshihiro deba and yanagi, and were reasonably flat but there were a few a low/concave bits evident once I laid the bevel flat on the stones. The scratch marks from the stones show near the shinogi line and the blade edge leaving the area around the steel lamination unscathed. I figured I need to flatten it first and then can work on creating an edge bevel?

Is this correct?

JBroida

08-21-2012, 11:54 PM

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WYZmtDlwDi4

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kA0vdeDDSJI

on mirror finishes, you dont need to go to 10k to get one. There are 5k-8k stones out there that will give mirror finishes too.

GlassEye

08-21-2012, 11:58 PM

Maybe my terminology is little off? Or I'm going about it the wrong way!? By flattening, I mean working the bevel to get rid of the concave/overground bits from the OEM. From what I've gathered on sharpening new single bevel knives - I thought you needed to 'flatten' the blade road this way first? These are a Yoshihiro deba and yanagi, and were reasonably flat but there were a few a low/concave bits evident once I laid the bevel flat on the stones. The scratch marks from the stones show near the shinogi line and the blade edge leaving the area around the steel lamination unscathed. I figured I need to flatten it first and then can work on creating an edge bevel?

Is this correct?

never mind, Jon was faster

Eamon Burke

08-22-2012, 12:52 AM

Hocho-bot to the rescue! In the future, all knife shops and sushi bars will have a video console with a virtual Jon Broida in them.

On the flattening, I see what you meant by that now. Just don't make the blade road totally flat, from the shoulder down to the edge. That is what I was suggesting. You can remove those overground spots while putting a proper Hamaguri on it--it's faster IME, and will save yourself some steel in the process.

Jase

08-22-2012, 01:14 AM

Ah yes, great videos! Thanks! I had watched the first one but hadnt seen the second demonstration one.

Ok, I think I'm still on the right track then, I'll make sure to work on the shinogi and the edge seperately to keep a Hamaguri profile.